An insider said: “We haven’t used foie gras for a number of years now.”

It is believed that the show hasn't used foie gras for six years. Previous winner Tim Anderson did an interview with an American newspaper in 2011 in which he said there were three 'forbidden' ingredients: eel, veal and foie gras.

Last week, the Mirror exposed the dire conditions ducks are kept in at a French farm. They are crammed into tiny pens and force fed to swell their livers.

Pressure group VIVA! turned up the heat on Channel 4, which has six dishes featuring foie gras on Come Dine With Me’s website, and other BBC show Great British Menu which still serves the dish.

Justin Kerswell, of Viva! said: “It is great MasterChef has banned foie gras, but we need the Beeb to extend this across the network - the same goes for Channel 4.

"The methods used to produce foie gras are so horrific – the main ingredient is cruelty.”

Last night Channel 4 said: “As the show is a competition, the choice of menu is up to the contestants.”

The BBC added it could still feature “as long as it remains legal”.

After our expose, Gordon Ramsay stopped trading with the firm that supplies his restaurants with foie gras. It is illegal to produce the dish in Britain but it can be imported.